The present invention relates to an articulated apparatus which enables stereographic and textual content to be conveyed and presented to the user in a manner similar and related to a book; a brochure; and a format for advertisement and presentation in concert with pre-existing publishing and packaging formats.
The present invention may also be configured with transparent sleeves which operate in a manner similar to a plurality of pivotally-mounted pages, so it may convey stereographic photoprints mounted back-to-back in a manner similar to a photo album.
The present invention can convey high resolution stereographic digital hard copies sent and received via an electronic network, to be printed at the site of reception, and then mounted into the device.
The present invention can be configured to convey stereographic charts and maps to enhance the user's comprehension of geographical and topological features.
More particularly, the present invention as contemplated herein is directed to providing a stereographic device which is very affordable to produce with pre-existing materials and manufacturing techniques extant in the publishing industry, including materials such as cardboard, bristol board, fabric, linen, etc. (with the exception of the lens elements, which are plastic or glass) and with such manufacturing methods as die-cutting, folding, laminating, etc. and other pre-established methods of fastening and page binding, including staple, wire, etc. The present invention can be secured together and also releasably secured into a storage configuration with various printable adhesives, tapes and also tab and slot fastening techniques common to the traditional publishing industry and well known to those skilled in the art. However, the present invention should not be limited to these suggested aspects of material preference and said rendering techniques, as other means may be utilized to render the device in its various configurations.
Stereographic/stereoscopic devices are numerous and various in type and well-known in the art. Generally, a stereoscope is an optical instrument configured to view stereographic imagery. The primary objective of the stereoscopic/stereographic art is to provide the user with a visual medium that approximates the experience of natural human visual perception of three-dimensional space. Depth perception is a phenomenon that naturally occurs as the right and left eyes each perceive simultaneously the spacial world in parallax, from two slightly different, horizontally displaced perspective viewpoints, which the brain fuses together and interprets, providing three-dimensional perception. A stereographic image typically consists of two separate images produces in a flat, planar, two-dimensional medium. The images of corresponding left and right perspective views are appropriately positioned next to each other so that their perspective viewpoints are horizontally displaced from each other by a distance that corresponds to the average inter-pupillary distance of the left and right eyes. The two images, commonly referred to as a stereograph or a stereo-pair, when viewed with an optical viewer possessing two lenses with the appropriate optical and focal properties, enable each eye to see the corresponding image intended for it, thereby creating in the brain a perceived three-dimension effect.
The present invention is designed to take advantage of the high-tech synthesizing power of computer imaging as well as high resolution digital printing to provide an affordable, accessible stenographic book that is capable of communicating complex three-dimensional visual concepts which are accompanied and augmented with textual information. Because of its ability to store and convey both stereographic imagery and readable text, the present invention can be utilized extensively for educational and entertainment purposes. In particular, the present invention is useful for visual novels and children's books, including reading primers, and also as an affordable, take-home visualization tool and study aid in the fields of chemistry, molecular biology, medicine, architecture, artistic sculpture, and other areas which benefit from seeing and understanding complex three-dimensional imagery.